Did you see the 74-page study released last week by the University of Arkansas showing the value of athletics to the state economy?

Technically, it isn’t quite that long. There are about eight pages of introduction and a lengthy table of contents (which reminded me a lot of some of my constitutional law papers from college). It’s an informative, but lengthy read complete with bar graphs and pie charts and numbers.

Sooooo many numbers.

Feel free to read it. If that’s not your thing, there’s a one-page summary of the economic study provided on the athletic department web site.

Or, you can just let me sum it up here: “We’re working to justify the $75-90 million it will cost to expand the stadium.”

A proposed Razorback Stadium expansion will come on the heels of — as we detailed in Arkansas Business last year — another $35-50 million spent on the baseball/track indoor practice area, an academic center/dining hall and the basketball practice facility. (Side note: I really want to see Nolan Richardson’s name on the court at Bud Walton Arena. That seems, to me, like a more fitting tribute than naming a practice facility after him. What do you think?)

Included in the economic impact study press release is a note that the construction projects could generate as much as $239.7 million for the state economy. An estimated 2,016 jobs could be generated by the construction (There’s more on the specifics at Arkansas Business).

All sounds great, right? But what does all that construction do for the Razorbacks? That’s the question you’re asking yourself as you read this.

Of all the projects, the only one that will eventually provide a tangible return on investment is the north end zone project.

On the surface, expanding the stadium is a head-scratcher. It didn’t sell out for the final Fayetteville home game in the careers of Ryan Mallett and DJ Williams. A top-10 matchup with South Carolina didn’t draw a capacity crowd in 2011.

So why expand a stadium that doesn’t sell out regularly?

Primarily the plan for north end zone is to house a collection of 5,000 or so premium seats. These aren’t going to be additional bleachers like those green death traps high atop the south end zone. Donations — big ones — will be required to sit there. Ticket prices — after the donation for the right to buy the tickets — will be high.

Plans for the premium seating include Jerry Jones-inspired suites at field level and a view of the team leaving the locker room as it makes its entrance into Razorback Stadium.

Think those won’t go fast?

They could. And they’ll — in theory — help generate revenue to pay for the expansion and those other projects planned by the athletic department.

Arkansas isn’t — directly at least — going to benefit financially from an academic/dining center or baseball/track facility. I suppose you could argue the caliber of athlete attracted to the school could improve, thereby improving on-field performance and generating more good feelings and a willingness to donate among the fan base.

But eventually, the stadium expansion could bring in revenue for the Razorbacks.

That’s the study I want to see and suspect we’ll see at some point as the groundwork is laid for such a significant investment. Let’s get an evaluation of how quickly these north end zone seats will pay for themselves and then pump money into the athletic department coffers. There is real potential for these seats to be a moneymaker.

Provided, of course, the team is competitive in the SEC. We don’t need a 74-page study to tell us that.

Chris: Great article. I don’t understand the rickety bleachers in the south end zone. There is no way I would set up there. They look like a death trap. It’s like parking the Clampet’s wagon in front of the Beverly Hills’ mansion. The stadium is beautiful, and then you look to the south end zone and wonder WTH is that trash! With or w/out the expansion they should remove those Cracker Jack bleachers immediately.

Nolan Richardson should have his name on the court for sure. I’ll go a step further and say there should be a statue of Nolan in front of the main entrance of BW. W/out him it wouldn’t be there.

TheTruth

So what does Nolan Richardson have to do with this discussion. Stay on point.

MSLAY

I don’t know who came up with the noland crap, but this is the wrong place. And of coarse putting noland of the ozarks anywhere but the out house is a bad idea!

mark

Nolan was mentioned in the original article. Try to follow…here it is “(Side note: I really want to see Nolan Richardson’s name on the court at Bud Walton Arena. That seems, to me, like a more fitting tribute than naming a practice facility after him. What do you think?)” Keep up or don’t post.

Mike

Its for overflow of the student section which in my opinion is BS. You cant sell out a top ten matchup against South Carolina and half of the student section is in the nose bleeds not playing a noise factor in the game? There should be another lower bowl section for students so the people that dont want to wait in line for hours before the game can still get decent seats in the lower bowl and be a part of the game. Undergrad enrollment has almost doubled since I’ve been here and we still just have one and a half sections for them?

Sports Fan

Good article. Since I didn’t read the 74-page study, maybe you can answer this. When referring to the impact that an expansion will have on the state’s economy, do they factor in the amount of lost tax revenue from the donation money that is used to build the facilities? Also, I disagree with naming the basketball court after Richardson. Eddie Sutton got basketball on the front page of the sports section in Arkansas, in my opinion. But I’m not in favor of naming any structure after someone, unless they pay for it. There are other ways to honor achievement without naming structures.

MSLAY

Very true. Eddie Sutton brought basketball to Arkansas and were it not for him noland of the ozarks would have done nothing. I think our basketball arena is named after someone named Walton and that name means much more to this state than any coach we have ever had.

mark

Wow, racist much?

MSLAY

I have zero tolerance for race activists and it was noland of the Ozarks who was and is the racist. Maybe you don’t remember all the trouble and embarrassment he caused our state and the univerisity, but many of us do!

Stephen

Maybe before you go trashing NOLAN Richardson, not Noland. You should at least get your grammar correct because it is actually people like you that embarrass Arkansans. You make us look uneducated.